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Sens. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Sam Brownback (R-KS), with Sens. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Susan Collins (R-ME), Tom Udall (D-NM), Mark Udall (D-CO) and others joining, announced today that they will introduce a stand-alone Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) bill.  The bill will require sellers of electricity to obtain the following milestones in adding renewable energy resources or energy efficiency:

2012-2013 – 3%

2014-2015 – 6%

2017-2018 – 9%

2019-2020 – 12%

2021 – 2039 -15%

Renewable resources that can be used toward compliance will include wind, solar, ocean, geothermal, biomass, landfill gas, incremental hydropower, hydrokinetic, new hydropower at existing dams, and waste-to-energy.  For utilities that are unable to meet their RES targets, the bill proposes to charge a compliance payment at a rate of 2.1 cents per kilowatt hour, with such amounts then being used for renewable energy development or to offset consumers’ bills.

A first step, yes.  But a small one.

Follow the link to learn more:…

Continue Reading A National Renewable Energy Standard Bill Surfaces in DC

The U.S. Department of Energy ("DOE") continued its support of marine and hydrokinetic ("MHK") technology development on Tuesday, announcing that Florida Atlantic University has been designated as the nation’s third national center for ocean energy research and development.  The Southeast National Marine Renewable Energy Center ("SNMREC") joins centers in the Northwest, at the University of Washington…

On Monday, July 19, 2010, the White House Council on Environmental Quality ("CEQ") issued the Final Recommendations of the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force.  The Final Recommendations are the culmination of a process that began on June 12, 2009 when President Obama formed the Task Force and tasked it with developing recommendations to enhance…

To follow up on my colleague Janet Jacobs’ blog on this exciting topic, here’s some more detailed information about the MOU, especially as it relates to marine and hydrokinetic ("MHK") technologies:

 

The United States Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (“EERE”) and the United States Department of the Interior’s …

Yesterday, the Department of the Interior (“DOI”) and the Department of Energy (“DOE”)  entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) to bring together resources and expertise from both agencies as the US develops commercial-scale offshore wind and water energy projects on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.

 

The…

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Wind and Hydropower Technologies program recently unveiled a new database containing information on the test capabilities and services of a variety of U.S. hydrodynamic test facilities.

The first-of-its-kind database encompasses 81 commercial, academic, and government facilities and offshore berths in 18 states, and will directly facilitate the testing of…

Today, Department of Interior Secretary Salazar and FERC Chairman Wellinghoff signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) clarifying each agency’s jurisdictional responsibilities for siting renewable energy on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The MOA should clear the way for wind, wave, tidal, ocean current, and solar energy projects on the OCS. My colleagues, including Cherise Oram…

The Department of Energy’s Draft Report to Congress on the Environmental Effects of Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy Projects is now available for public comment. The report, prepared pursuant to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (“EISA”), describes (1) the potential environmental impacts of marine and hydrokinetic energy technologies; (2) options to mitigate and prevent…